Murdoch Nobbled Over Sky UK Deal
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority regulator has dealt Rupert Murdoch a bitter blow by claiming that the acquisition of Sky would not be in the public interest.
Murdoch who was banking on a tick of approval to take over Sky, what is not known is whether the rejection will impact his recent deal with Walt Disney.
The concept of Rupert Murdoch buying all of Sky was not in the public interest because it would give the media mogul too much influence.
The CMA found the deal would not be against the public interest on the grounds of broadcasting standards.
Fox has been trying to buy the 61% of Sky that it does not currently own.
But the CMA decided that if this happened, the Murdoch Family Trust (MFT)’s control across all media platforms in the UK would give it too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda.
The MFT’s news outlets are currently consumed by nearly a third of the UK’s population across TV, radio, online and newspapers.
ThatThe UK’s Competition and Markets Authority regulator has dealt Rupert Murdoch a bitter blow by claiming that the acquisition of Sky would not be in the public interest.
Murdoch who was banking on a tick of approval to take over Sky, what is not known is whether the rejection will impact his recent deal with Walt Disney.
The concept of Rupert Murdoch buying all of Sky was not in the public interest because it would give the media mogul too much influence.
The CMA found the deal would not be against the public interest on the grounds of broadcasting standards.
Fox has been trying to buy the 61% of Sky that it does not currently own.
But the CMA decided that if this happened, the Murdoch Family Trust (MFT)’s control across all media platforms in the UK would give it too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda.
The MFT’s news outlets are currently consumed by nearly a third of the UK’s population across TV, radio, online and newspapers.
That is significantly greater than all other news providers, except the BBC and ITV.
In a statement, Fox said it was “disappointed” by the findings.
The CMA said possible ways to resolve its concerns about Murdoch’s influence in Britain could include spinning off or divesting Sky News, or insulating Sky News from Fox’s influence. A third option is to block the deal outright.
It did however clear Murdoch on the issue of broadcasting standards, saying that recent allegations of sexual harassment at his Fox News organisation in the United States did not call into question his commitment to upholding standards in Britain.
The government, which will make the final decision on the takeover, will now receive the regulator’s judgement on the takeover on May 1, which is later than expected.
is significantly greater than all other news providers, except the BBC and ITV.
In a statement, Fox said it was “disappointed” by the findings.
The CMA said possible ways to resolve its concerns about Murdoch’s influence in Britain could include spinning off or divesting Sky News, or insulating Sky News from Fox’s influence. A third option is to block the deal outright.
It did however clear Murdoch on the issue of broadcasting standards, saying that recent allegations of sexual harassment at his Fox News organisation in the United States did not call into question his commitment to upholding standards in Britain.
The government, which will make the final decision on the takeover, will now receive the regulator’s judgement on the takeover on May 1, which is later than expected.
